Thoughts on a 3-2 Rangers win

Rangers 3, ChiSox 2

• Welcome to the big leagues, Cole Ragans.
• The 2016 first rounder made his long-awaited debut, and acquitted himself admirably against the White Sox lineup. Five innings of work, an unearned run (via an Adolis Garcia dropped fly ball), three hits, three Ks. Ragans did walk four batters, which is more than you’d like to see, but all in all, Ragans exceeded expectations, I think.
• Ragans said after the game that he didn’t have his best stuff, and that his change up, in particular, wasn’t where he wanted it to be. Ragans threw mostly fastballs and change ups, mixing in a few cutters and the occasional curveball. He got nine swings and misses on 93 pitches, generating three whiffs apiece from his fastball, change up and cutter.
• Chicago had an average exit velocity of just 81.1 mph against Ragans today. Best stuff or not, they weren’t squaring him up.
• Brock Burke gave Texas two scoreless innings, dropping his ERA on the year to 1.13. Matt Moore pitched the eighth and gave up a run when a Yoan Moncada ball into right center somehow bounded away from Adolis Garcia and off into center, allowing Jose Abreu, whose sprint speed can be timed by a sundial, to score on what was called a triple. A.J. Pollock then walked, making us fret about another late lead coughed up, but a fly ball by Yasmani Grandal was flagged down by Bubba Thompson in left for the final out.
• Jonathan Hernandez pitched the ninth and looked like the old dominant Jonathan Hernandez, getting a weak grounded and a pair of Ks to pick up the save and end the game.
• The offense picked up a number of hits, but only could push one run across until the seventh, when a pinch hit single by unlikely hero Meibrys Viloria brought home Leody Taveras with the go ahead run. A Marcus Semien sac fly brought home an insurance run that ended up being the difference in the game.
• Really, though, all the non-Cole Ragans things in the game were not really on my radar. I wanted to see Cole Ragans pitch well, and he did.
• Ragans topped out at 93.8 mph with his fastball. Brock Burke hit 97.0 mph with his fastball. Matt Moore touched 94.7 mph with his fastball. Jonathan Hernandez hit 99.1 mph with his sinker.
• Nathaniel Lowe had doubles that had exit velocities of 112.2 mph and 106.1 mph. Adolis Garcia had a 105.9 mph lineout.
• A one run win and an end to a losing streak, behind a strong effort by Ragans. You have to feel very good about this one.